


Perfect Day for a Game of Catch

by Kharasma



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Big Brother Papyrus, Ensemble Cast, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, POV Second Person, Post-Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2015-11-16
Packaged: 2018-05-01 20:55:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5220497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kharasma/pseuds/Kharasma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No matter when it is, no matter what you're feeling, your friends are always there to lift your spirits. </p><p>This isn't quite the game of catch King Asgore had in mind, but it's the one you need today.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfect Day for a Game of Catch

**Author's Note:**

> It seems I too have been bitten by the Undertale bug! Here's my tiny contribution: some shameless self-indulgent fluff. 
> 
> Papyrus is being a somewhat more serious big-bro today, so his speech isn't in all caps for most of the story. I hope that works out okay!

You didn't have to look up to know that Papyrus would be your companion on the way home today. There was a thrum of nervous energy outside the school gates that could only be his, and the other childrens' guardians were always sure to give him a wide berth. As you crossed through the gate, you finally looked up, and sure enough, his bony form was towering over everyone present, his scarf dramatically billowing in the barely-there breeze. Must've been magic.

“Frisk! My favorite human has returned!” You could hear the surrounding families step away from the taller skeleton's affectionate bellowing. Not that you cared what they thought of it, especially not today: all that mattered to you was that he was here.

“Hey Papyrus,” you greeted him, briefly lifting your head to flash a tired smile. Hopefully he wouldn't notice if it was lacking its usual energy. It seemed he didn't: his answering grin, you knew, was the brightest in all the world. Even Mettaton would be jealous...before asking Alphys for an upgrade, of course. And she'd be too happy to oblige. You shake those thoughts from your head with a tiny smile and look up at your cool friend. “Let's go home?”

“Of course! You must never fear, human, for it is my honor and duty to accompany you to your home! Let's leave this place at once! Your mother's excellent cooking, though it does not compare to my the perfection of my pasta dishes, awaits you in adequacy!” He gallantly strode ahead of you, and for that you were grateful. All you had to do now was tag along behind him, passing the colorful surroundings without a second thought for them.

Those older students with the scowling faces were still front and center in your mind. You still heard them laughing about your friends. You still saw those looks they gave you, disgust and pity and...something else you weren't quite sure about. Your hands were stuffed more deeply into your pockets and you pressed on, hearing nothing but those voices in your mind.

Something shifted in the vague world around you. There was now a distant voice above your head, lowering...it was now in front of your face. You startled when you felt two gloved hands grip your arms, and for the first time in several minutes you really took in the world around you.

Papyrus knelt in front of you, his brow knitted together in worry. You weren't quite home just yet, but you were standing in the middle of the park across from the apartment you shared with Toriel. Fortunately, this park and its broken playground equipment weren't quite popular destinations for the other townspeople yet, so you were alone for now.

“Frisk, I am becoming concerned about your lack of positive expression!” Papyrus repeated, giving your arms a gentle squeeze. “You have never been the most talkative of humans, but today you are positively silent. You have not responded to my clever observations! You positively ignored my perfectly crafted pun!”

Now THAT you couldn't believe. Thoroughly startled out of your funk, you gaped at him. “I don't believe you,” you answered.

“It's true! Even I, the great Papyrus, can appreciate clever wordplay!” he said.

“But you never like Sans or Toriel's jokes...” He seemed to hate them, actually.

“That is because I have an extremely refined taste for these things! Their common jokes, while allegedly amusing, lack the sophistication I crave.”

“Still don't believe you,” you said. “You, make a pun? It'd never happen.”

Papyrus held your gaze for a tense second, then nodded. “You are correct. I would never sink to their level of crude humor! But if even the suggestion that I may have _punned_ could cause you to smile again...Human. I fear you are also hiding something. You have yet to tell me about your adventures! Did you...did you fail to have an adventure? Did you sleep all day? Has my brother's laziness rubbed off on you?” For a moment, Papyrus looked like he might strangle Sans if that were true.

“No!” you answered. “I went to all my classes. They were fine."

“But you are not happy,” Papyrus insisted. “Did you have trouble with any tests of knowledge?”

“Not that I know of. Look...it's fine, okay?” you said, trying to step away.

But Papyrus was too clever for that. He knew that things definitely weren't fine, and he wasn't going to stop giving you those pleading eyes until you told him, was he? You sighed and lifted your weary gaze to his.

“...okay. Maybe it's not. I...ran into some bigger kids who didn't want to be friends. They don't like you. Or me. Us,” you confessed, the words rushing out of you. “I wanted them to! I tried being nice, tried to show them we could all have fun if they tried, but they wouldn't listen. They just laughed at me more, shoved me out of the way.” Finally, with that out of your system, you sagged against your bony friend. He lifted his arms to sweep you into a bony if comforting hug.

“Human,” Papyrus murmured against your shoulder. You'd never known him to murmur anything before. “Frisk! Are you injured?” he asked, pulling back to give you a careful once-over

“I'm okay,” you answered, shaking your head. “Nothing hurts.” Nothing their food or spells can fix, anyway.

“Clearly something does, if you are not smiling!” he worried, lifting you onto his knee. “It seems that your problems are weighing you down! You are positively blue!”

That managed to draw a soft chuckle from you. He looked startled. “What?”

“You...you made a pun!” You snorted. Papyrus's eye sockets somehow seemed to bug out of his head.

“What?! Do not misunderstand me! I am not making a pun! That was merely an intelligently drawn analogy to my combat abilities!”

“Whatever you say, Papyrus,” you grinned, even the smallest of smiles returning. That seemed to cheer him up a little. Maybe he'd let you get away with believing he'd made a pun this once. With a new gleam in his eye, he grabbed your shoulders.

“Promise me you'll never tell Sans about this!” he pleaded, though there was a hint of a bony smile there.

“I won't tell. Promise,” you said. “Ambassador's honor!”

“Thank you, human!” Papyrus sounded grateful. And for that, his hands suddenly shifted to your waist. “In return, I will lift your spirits to the skies! Nyeh-heh-heh!”

And that was exactly what he did. With a small heave, Papyrus stood and lifted your spirit, as well as the rest of you, high over his head. You spread your arms instinctively, feeling like some kind of great hero. Or maybe a bird.

“Do you see how small your obstacles truly are? From this height, no matter how much bigger those unruly children are, they are insignificant before you!” Papyrus encouraged, taking a daring step forward. You felt a giggle escaping your throat, and Papyrus sped up his steps. “That is my great secret! I, the great Papyrus, never allow my problems to lower me! I rise until they are as insignificant as any pebble, and I will help you to do the same, Frisk!”

He broke into an outright sprint with you above his head, leaving you laughing and 'flying' through the skies. The two of you looped in circles, turning this way and that, and all was well. Until you heard a familiar commanding voice cut into your carefree joy

“Papyrus! Just what do you think you're doing with my bestie?” said Undyne sharply, striding toward the two of you with her arms folded in front of her. You felt Papyrus's arms sag just a little in defeat, and you waved to her from your awkward position in midair.

“I am lifting the human's spirits!” Papyrus said proudly, his arms pumping you up and down. You laugh, and Undyne's glare thankfully softened a little.

“Good, 'cause if it were anything else you were trying to lift that'd be one sorry excuse for one!” she smirked. “You want to be strong like me, you'll have to bench-press a lot more than this shrimp!” You knew Undyne never meant that in a cruel way. She reached up to give you a playful high-five, and you slapped her hand enthusiastically. “In fact...I bet I can even lift Frisk's spirits better than that!”

“Then will you show us how it's done?” Papyrus asked her with his familiar mischievous expression. “I await your instructions!”

Undyne was definitely up for the challenge. She extended her hands. “Give the kid to me,” she ordered. Papyrus obediently passed you into Undyne's iron grip, though she was always a little gentler than you'd suspect. “Now, Frisk, you ready to show him how it's really done?” she challenged, tilting her head up to flash you a toothy grin.

“Ready!” was your answer, your fists clenched. You were pumped. You were excited. You were...determined, your earlier worries all but forgotten by now.

“All right! Papyrus, do exactly what I tell you. Go long!” she barked, and the skeleton was off with his long lanky strides. Undyne apparently wasn't in too much of a hurry...she took her time bouncing you with one hand, then the other. It tickled a little, but you wouldn't crack. You'd show her you were made of tougher stuff than that.

“Longer!” she ordered.

“I am going very long!”

“Longer!” she repeated, giving you another smirk.

“Yes, Undyne!” he said wisely, pushing himself as far as he could go.

“And now...now the fun starts,” Undyne laughed, finally taking off at a run with you held over her head. You spread your arms once more, laughing all the way.

“Ready for a real lift, kid?” she questioned. You nodded. “Now! Papyrus, slow down! Eyes up, arms up!” she ordered. You saw his arms lift in the distance, and then she gave you a reassuring squeeze. “Okay, Frisk, here, we...go!”

And with a delighted holler, Undyne reeled her arms back and threw, tossing you straight ahead. You closed your eyes, feeling the rushing wind ruffle your hair. You weren't flying too high or too fast, but it still felt like forever. You soared, not even allowing a worry to enter your mind. Papyrus's voice was getting closer and you could see him prepare to catch you. But you hit cloaked fur instead of bone, and the deep rumble near your ear wasn't your familiar skeleton friend's laughter.

“What is the meaning of all this?” asked a familiar voice. You opened your eyes to find yourself sitting on Asgore's shoulder. He held you there with a soft hand, bearing an expression that was difficult to read from this angle.

“Ah! King Asgore!” You'd never seen Undyne's face pale that fast. She fell right into her usual salute! “I was only showing Frisk and Papyrus a new game!” she laughed. “You know Frisk was never in any danger, right?”

Papyrus stepped up from behind the king with a quick nod. “Undyne's training has paid off! I was more than prepared to catch Frisk,” he said seriously, though you could see that his boots were shaking just slightly

“Ah, so you were playing catch?” Asgore asked, looking at you with an amused expression. You nodded your agreement. “As I understand it, isn't this game usually played with a ball?”

“It's a special game!” you said, stepping in for Papyrus and Undyne. “It's more fun for me if I'm the ball! Don't worry, Dad, I wanted them to,” you insisted, giving him a gentle pat. He wouldn't hurt your friends over this...right?

“You're sure? Well...if you insist." Asgore was excited now, bouncing you in one arm experimentally. You needn't have worried. “I can't say I've ever played this way, but I'm open to new games! Papyrus, Undyne! Are you prepared to protect this human projectile with your very lives?”

“Sir, yes sir!” they said in unison, saluting him for good measure.

“And Frisk, you'll tell us to stop if you're no longer enjoying yourself?”

“Dad, yes Dad!” Cheeky. You giggled at him, earning that familiar look of fond exasperation.

“And I will protect you as well, child...so as we're all in agreement, let us proceed!”

True to his word, Asgore launched you into the air. He was far gentler than Undyne, and this flight was disappointingly short, but true to his word you landed safely in bony arms. Papyrus beamed at you.

“We're going to win, human! Together with you, I, the great Papyrus, am unstoppable!”

“Going to win what? I don't think we even have rules!” Undyne pointed out, impatiently holding out her hands. She wanted to catch you and she wanted to do it now.

“The only rule, as I see it, is this: that we all have fun!” Asgore said with a large grin. He seemed to be satisfied as Papyrus tossed you into the air, and feeling daring this time you flipped expertly into Undyne's hold. She looked utterly _thrilled_.

“Bestie! Do you know what this means?”

“...no, what does this mean?” you asked, puzzled.

“It means we're gonna train you to be the best acrobat this side of the circus!” she cheered, bouncing you higher and higher. You clung to her neck a moment, needing to catch your breath there, but...you smiled over her shoulder. Even with the threat of more Undyne training...nothing could crush your happiness now.

Once you'd caught your breath, the game continued. Asgore gradually relaxed, letting you fly further and further into your friends' holds. Now that Undyne knew of your athletic skill, she carried on throwing you for loops and challenging you to nail some impressive landings. Papyrus clapped in excitement whenever his hands were free, yet he also claimed to be 'winning'.

You could've carried on like this for a while yet, but just when Asgore was ready to release you for the next toss you felt the air around you distinctly heat up.

“What in the world do you think you're doing?!”

You heard a warning snort over Asgore's other shoulder, and then the sharp rebuke startled him into letting go of you too soon, sending you veering away from Papyrus and Undyne. That warning snort from your mother became a worried gasp then, but you weren't worried at all. The air around you had chilled as you fell, and instead of speeding at the ground you found yourself floating harmlessly into a soft fleece-lined skeleton grasp.

“how about you and me make a home-run before your mom strikes out at your pals, huh?” Sans laughed as he gently set you on the ground. You giggled, and you could tell Toriel was hiding her merriment too, but---

“SANS!”

“Hey, don't pitcher a fit bro.”

“SANS YOU ARE NOT HELPING”

“i'm beg-inning to think you're upset”

“SANS. STOP.”

“what'cha gonna do about it, short-stop me?”

“AAAARGH.”

You couldn't help it: you burst into a fit of giggles, especially at the thought of the secret you now knew. Papyrus never hated those puns quite as much as he claimed to: in fact, he'd tried making one or two himself. Best of all, Sans seemed to have had exactly the effect he'd intended: Toriel still looked worried about all of this, but she didn't look ready to tear Asgore limb from limb anymore. Yet she was still waiting for an explanation. You stepped forward,

“It's---it's okay, Mom,” you said, stepping forward to give her your usual after-school hug. She reciprocated, though you could still feel the tension coming from her. “I just...got a little sad at school today,” you admitted, earning worried looks from the group. You smiled over at Papyrus. “But it's okay. Papyrus cheered me up, and everyone was just helping out! We might've got a little carried away, though...you know us, we get kinda bat-ty when we're all wound up!” you tried to say with a smile.

“Well I'm very glad you're feeling better, my child, but I'm not sure I approve of everyone playing quite so roughly,” she said, trying to hide her mirth behind an icy stare. She failed, and everyone knew it. Toriel gave you a once-over to ensure the afternoon's activity had left you unharmed, and once she was satisfied, she gave you another hug. “Come, Frisk. I think it's time you have some dinner.”

You could've sworn you heard your stomach rumble in response. Judging by everyone else's expressions, they heard it too, and at last that broke the tension around them. You shared a laugh with your friends once more.

“Okay Mom, just give me a minute,” you smiled at her. She nodded and took a big step back to let you say your goodbyes.

“Thanks, everyone,” you answered, turning to give them each a hug. Undyne got two---one to give to Dr. Alphys. You'd definitely be messaging her about this tonight---if your ribs survived, since Undyne had made her hugs twice as intense in response. Sans gave you a knowing look, and you could feel him slip something into your pocket. Something that felt suspiciously like a wrapped hot dog. You murmured an apology to Dad, promising you'd visit again soon. He clung to you with a rumbling laugh.

You saved Papyrus for last, leaping up to hug his neck. “Thanks for everything,” you smiled.

“It is always a pleasure to help my favorite human!” Papyrus said, hugging you fiercely. “But...you haven't told Sans, have you?”

“Nope. He won't _catch_ wind of it, Ambassador's honor, remember?"

“...Frisk,” he groaned, though even that was something of a joke. His eyes still sparkled. You just laughed and hugged him harder.

“Just kidding! I'll see you soon. Spaghetti Saturday's still on, right?”

“Of course it is! I would never fail to fill your stomach with the finest of pasta on the greatest of nights!” he grinned, setting you down and gently cupping your shoulders. “Now go forth with your head high! And remember: you are the bravest, strongest, and kindest human in existence! Don't ever allow them to tell you differently.”

“I know that now...thanks to you. See you later,” you smiled, squeezing his hands over your shoulders and slipping out of his grasp. You cast a wave over your shoulder at your gathered friends, then reached for your mother's hand and smiled up at her. As the two of you returned home...you knew the most important truth of all. Even if not everything in the world is perfect...you have the love of these friends of yours. And that was all you'd ever need.

 


End file.
